FEBRUARY 28: Liam Hemsworth and Miley Cyrus attend WCRF's "An Unforgettable Evening" at the Beverly Wilshire Four Seasons Hotel on February 28, 2019 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Michael Kovac/Getty Images for WCRF)[/caption]
Kate Hudson and Gabrielle Union were honored at An Unforgettable Evening, an annual event that benefits the Women’s Cancer Research Fund, a program of the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. The gala raised over $1.5 million and featured a special musical performance by Miley Cyrus.
Women’s Cancer Research Fund (WCRF) Honorary Chairs Rita Wilson, Kate Capshaw and Steven Spielberg, along with WCRF co-founders Anne Douglas, Quinn Ezralow, Marion Laurie, Kelly Chapman Meyer, and Jamie Tisch welcomed guests to An Unforgettable Evening. The event returned to the Beverly Wilshire Hotel, with proceeds benefitting the Women’s Cancer Research Fund.
BEVERLY HILLS, CA - FEBRUARY 28: Tom Ford and Steven Spielberg attend WCRF's "An Unforgettable Evening" at the Beverly Wilshire Four Seasons Hotel on February 28, 2019 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Michael Kovac/Getty Images for WCRF)
This year, actress, author, and entrepreneur Kate Hudson received the 2019 Courage Award for her support of breast cancer research, and commitment to raising awareness and funds for research.
“I want to just shout out to my parents who came out tonight. They’ve rarely come out so I’m so happy that they’re here. Thank you to the Women’s Cancer Research Fund for this tremendous honor, I’m so grateful. I want to thank all of you here for fighting the good fight as Gaby said as well, “You’re actually here and winning.” With the help of so many medical professionals who are leading us to the cures that we seek. There is so much passion in this room, and I really appreciate what you guys are doing now more than ever,” Hudson said on stage.
“I have to admit that writing this was one of the most challenging things I have done. So, writing this speech was challenging for me. It hits a huge emotional cord. Like many of us in this room, I have lost people that I love to cancer and cancer makes me mad as hell. It has taken so many, too many lives. So it makes sense that most of the time we think of courage as the fight, rightfully so. Everyone in here we’re all in on that fight, we all want to win that fight. My grandma, breast cancer survivor, and she won that fight. I’ve several friends breast cancer survivors, ovarian cancer survivors and they beat it. They are heroes to me.
BEVERLY HILLS, CA - FEBRUARY 28: Honoree Kate Hudson accepts the Courage Award onstage during WCRF's "An Unforgettable Evening" at the Beverly Wilshire Four Seasons Hotel on February 28, 2019 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Rachel Murray/Getty Images for WCRF)
“I want to do what I can to ensure that my daughters generation and my sons will not have to suffer the way many of our friends and family have. I am very humbled by this and I am inspired to do as much as I can in part because of this night. Thank you and thank you to everyone doing all of the work, to work hard seeing an end to breast cancer. All the people at the BCRF, I love working with you and I will continue to. Thank you for all your collaborations that we do and thank you for this unforgettable honor. Thank you,” she concluded.
Actress, producer, author, and activist Gabrielle Union received the Unsung Hero Award for her charitable contributions and philanthropic efforts throughout her career, including her work to help educate women about breast cancer screenings, prevention and closing the gap on breast cancer disparities.
“Tonight I would like to accept this honor in the memory of my late great friend, Kristen Sofi Martinez who was a beautiful soul who lost her battle to metastatic breast cancer in 2010. She died from breast cancer but as I’ve always seen it, she died because of fear. Kristen experienced pain in her chest and her back for six months. But see she delayed seeing a doctor until it was too late. Oftentimes is when we like to prioritize everything and everyone before ourselves. But you know when you’re on the plane and they say make sure you put the oxygen on yourself before you help the next person. But I think all too often is when we don’t put the oxygen mask on ourself. And Kristen didn’t,” she revealed during her speech.
BEVERLY HILLS, CA - FEBRUARY 28: Honoree Gabrielle Union accepts the Unsung Hero Award onstage during WCRF's "An Unforgettable Evening" at the Beverly Wilshire Four Seasons Hotel on February 28, 2019 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Rachel Murray/Getty Images for WCRF)
“She was afraid of what she might be facing so by the time the pain became unbearable, Kristen was facing stage four metastatic breast cancer. At that point I was moved out of fear I was going to lose my friend. We just wanted to save Kristen. We were deliriously ignorant. But I was proud to stand by her side and we became advocates and volunteers for this cause. But we never stopped wondering if maybe if Kristen had only faced her fear a little bit earlier and had all the information that all women need to know I still believe she’d be here with us today,” Union added.
“So I’m fighting this fight alongside all of you and all of the countless people who do this work without red carpets and pretty dresses who are shaping and changing and saving lives day in and day out. And when I visited Kristen they told us she had a few days to live and I flew out from LA to new York where she was living and so the last time I saw her I asked her, “What do you want me to say? What do you want me to do?” And she said, “Don’t let me die in vain.” She also said, “Don’t let them bury me without waxing my mustache.” She did say that as well. But I would promise her that I would carry on the work that we had done together and not stop until it is assured. So I want to thank you all for doing what you’re doing tonight to shed light and create hope and replace fear with something better so that women will know their family histories, be their own best advocates,” she said.
Rita Wilson presented both women with their awards and joked about not having “Kate Hudson babies.”
“Kate used to bicycle over to my house when she was 14 to can see if my son Colin Hanks was home . And Colin Hanks being a little too clueless to know like, oh, my God, this amazing girl is driving by on her bike, like, asking for me.[Sighs] No little Kate Hudson babies for me. Sorry Danny [Fujikawa]. Kind of Danny and Colin kind of look alike. Just wanna say that. Well frankly, if anybody’s going to trust that Kate Hudson is the biggest, amazing, most wonderful hearted beautiful person in the world, then I mean who doesn’t believe I’m Kate. Thankfully, I’ve never met such a misguided individual, except maybe my son Colin,” Wilson told the packed room.
BEVERLY HILLS, CA – FEBRUARY 28: Danny Fujikawa and honoree
Kate Hudson attends WCRF’s “An Unforgettable Evening” at the Beverly Wilshire Four Seasons Hotel on February 28, 2019 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Michael Kovac/Getty Images for WCRF)
Music superstar Miley Cyrus brought the crowd to their feet with her performance, singing her hits “Nothing Breaks Like A Heart” and “The Climb,” as well as covers of “My Generation” and “River.”
“One of my closest friends, a person I’ve been working with for the last eight years and my creative partner, started chemotherapy yesterday for breast cancer, and the fact that I’m here tonight it couldn’t be more serendipitous and I couldn’t be more proud to sing here again, representing people that we know and that we love. I’m here representing Dimond,” Cyrus said during her performance.
BEVERLY HILLS, CA - FEBRUARY 28: Liam Hemsworth and Miley Cyrus attend WCRF's "An Unforgettable Evening" at the Beverly Wilshire Four Seasons Hotel on February 28, 2019 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Michael Kovac/Getty Images for WCRF)
In between songs, the newlywed addressed the crowed and talked about her grandparents.
“This song is called “River” and actually, my grandfather passed away just about 10 years ago today from cancer. And so this song, I just want to sing for him tonight. Just about doesn’t really matter what kind of cancer you have. They all fucking suck and we’re over it. So you guys, again, I can’t thank you enough. And song is for my grand dad but for everyone out there that’s working so hard so no one else loses their loving grandparents.”
Additional guests in attendance included Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF) President & CEO Myra Biblowit, BCRF Researcher Dr. Peter Kuhn, Gala Co-Chairs NJ Falk, Tom Ford & Richard Buckley, Judy Glickman Lauder, and Kris Levine, Gala Committee Members Eric Buterbaugh, Stacy & Peter Cramer, Janet Crown & Steve Robinson, Laurie Feltheimer, Jennifer Smith Hale, Halle Hammond, Sydney Holland, Julie Jaffe, Danielle Lauder, Monique Lhuillier, Crystal Lourd, Tamara Mellon, OBE & Michael Ovitz, Heather Mnuchin, Candace Nelson, Alexandra Nourafchan, Danielle & Reinout Oerlemans, Erica Packer, Danica Perez, Kelly Styne, Alexandra Von Furstenberg Miller & Dax Miller, Lena Wald, Elizabeth Wiatt, Margo & Irwin Winkler, Special Guests Valorie Kondos Field, Erin Foster, Sara Foster, Danny Fujikawa, Goldie Hawn & Kurt Russell, Paris Hilton, Ken Jeong, Loni Love, Lori Loughlin, Jennifer Meyer, Jamie Mizrahi, Demi Moore, Katelyn Ohashi, Sean Penn, Alex Pettyfer, Sharon Stone, Justin Sylvester, and many more.
BEVERLY HILLS, CA - FEBRUARY 28: (L-R) Demi Moore, honoree Kate Hudson and Sharon Stone attend WCRF's "An Unforgettable Evening" at the Beverly Wilshire Four Seasons Hotel on February 28, 2019 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Michael Kovac/Getty Images for WCRF)
An Unforgettable Evening is the flagship fundraising event for WCRF featuring extraordinary honorees, tributes to cancer survivors and the memory of those impacted by cancer. For over 20 years, this event has brought together leaders in entertainment, cancer research and corporate philanthropy in raising funds for pioneering cancer research conducted at leading medical and academic institutions in Los Angeles and throughout the nation. Previous An Unforgettable Evening Honorees have included Natalie Cole, Courteney Cox, Sheryl Crow, Melissa Ethridge, Renette Ezralow, Tom Ford, Carolina Herrera, Faith Hill & Tim McGraw, Jennifer Hudson, Sir Elton John, Nicole Kidman, Judy & Leonard Lauder, Stella McCartney, Gwyneth Paltrow and Sofia Vergara.
About Women’s Cancer Research Fund (@wcrfcure)
The Women’s Cancer Research Fund, a program of the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, supports innovative research, education and outreach directed at the development of more effective approaches to the early diagnosis, treatment and prevention of women’s cancers. Visit www.wcrfcure.org for more information.
About Breast Cancer Research Foundation (@bcrfcure)
The Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF) is dedicated to being the end of breast cancer by advancing the world’s most promising research. Founded by Evelyn H. Lauder in 1993, BCRF-funded investigators have been deeply involved in every major breakthrough in breast cancer prevention, diagnosis, treatment and survivorship. This year, BCRF has awarded $63 million in grants to support the work of nearly 300 scientists at leading medical and academic institutions across 14 countries, making BCRF the largest private funder of breast cancer research worldwide. BCRF is also the highest rated breast cancer organization in the U.S. Visit www.bcrf.org to learn more.
